399
ReportedDisasters

86,47393.1 Million

DeathsPeople
Affected

A Significant Yearof Disaster Impact

202.7 Billion
US$ EconomicDamage

Executive Summary
In 2023,1 the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) recorded a total of 399 disasters related to natural
hazards.2 These events resulted in 86,473 fatalities and affected 93.1 million people. The economic losses
amounted to US$202.7 billion. The 2023 earthquake in Türkiye and the Syrian Arab Republic was the mostcatastrophic event of the year in terms of mortality and economic damage, with 56,683 reported deathsand damage worth US$42.9 billion damage. This earthquake impacted an estimated 18 million people, atotal for both countries, making it the second most impactful event in terms of affected individuals. The
first was the 2023 Indonesian Drought, which affected 18.8 million people from June to September 2023.
In the year under review there was a high level of disaster

after the Türkiye and Syria Earthquake. Earlier in the year, Cyclone

mortality, with a total of 86,473 deaths, exceeding the 20-year

Freddy passed through Madagascar, Mozambique, and Malawi.

average of 64,148 deaths and the median value of 19,290 deaths 3 for

The greatest impact was in Malawi, resulting in 1,209 fatalities andthe same period, mainly due to the dramatic earthquake in Türkiye

affecting 2.3 million individuals. Typhoon Doksuri, occurring at theand Syria in February 2023, counting for two-thirds of the EM-

end of July, hit the Philippines, followed by China where economic

DAT total deaths. The number of individuals affected by disasters,

losses are estimated to be US$25 billion, making it the second

93.1 million, is below the 2003-2022 annual average of 175.5 million.

most expensive disaster in 2023. There was also severe flooding

The difference is mainly due to the relatively low number of new

in India due to Cyclone Michaung at the beginning of December,significant droughts. It is important to note that some events areaffecting 4.4 million people. In the Americas, two storms had notablestill ongoing, so reports on droughts might be incomplete, making

economic impacts. In early March, the United States was hit by athe current statistics provisional. The annual analysis highlights

storm that brought tornado outbreaks, strong winds, and floods,

seasonal droughts beginning in 2023 but excludes ongoing multi-causing estimated costs of US$6 billion and 13 fatalities. Lastly, inyear droughts, such as the severe and long-lasting Horn of Africa

October, Tropical Storm Otis in Mexico affected one million people,Drought. Furthermore, the report probably underestimates thecaused 104 fatalities, and resulted in damage worth US$12 billion,

mortality from heat waves and the number of heatwave events inmaking it the costliest storm disaster ever recorded in Mexico.

2023. Awaiting further information, the EM-DAT validation for the2023 European heat waves remains incomplete, as it may well omit
several high-mortality events. This issue is addressed in a section of
the report dedicated to this issue.

Regarding the most prominent floods, in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo there was severe flooding and landslides
in May due to torrential rainfall in South Kivu province. The deathtoll, which remains uncertain, is currently estimated at 2,970,

In terms of economic losses, the reported figure ofwith 470 confirmed deaths and thousands missing. In North-East

US$ 202.7 billion is slightly higher than the EM-DAT 2003-2022

Nigeria, floods in October resulted in 275 fatalities. In December,

annual average of US$196.3 billion. Notably, only one-third ofSomalia experienced torrential rains during its rainy season,

disasters covered in this report for the 2003-2022 period benefit

affecting approximately 2.5 million individuals, while a flood in thefrom documented total economic damage, with a remarkably

United Republic of Tanzania impacted 2.9 million people. In January,

lower reporting percentage of 12% for Africa. This discrepancy

the Philippines were struck by nationwide floods and landslides,

underscores, once again, the critical need to enhance global efforts

resulting in 52 deaths and affecting 2.1 million individuals. Monsoon

in the evaluation, reporting, and dissemination of economic loss

floods also struck Pakistan and India from April to July, with India

data resulting from disasters.

recording at least 1529 fatalities and 10.2 million people affected

In Türkiye, a sequence of earthquakes with magnitudes of
7.8 Mw and 7.5 Mw on February 6 led to 50,783 casualties and affected
approximately 9.2 million people. In the Syrian Arab Republic, reports
indicate 5,900 deaths and 8.8 million people affected by this disaster.
The total economic damage is currently estimated to be at least
US$34 billion for Türkiye and US$8.9 billion for Syria. Additionally,
two other seismic events are among the Top 10 deadliest disasters.
On September 8, a magnitude 6.8 Mw earthquake in the High Atlas

between June and September 2023. In addition, Yemen experienced
a prolonged and intense annual rainy season between March and
September 2023, with 248 reported deaths during this period.
In Guatemala, heavy rainfall from May onward led to significant
flooding and landslides, affecting over 4.4 million people and causing
78 deaths. In Europe, the mid-May floods in the Emilia-Romagna
region resulted in 15 casualties and were among the costliest floodsof 2023, with economic damage estimated at US$ 9.8 billion.

Mountain Region, southwest of Marrakesh, Morocco, resulted inRegarding drought-related events, Indonesia’s dry season –2,946 fatalities and economic losses estimated at US$7 billion.

from May to October – severely impacted approximately 18.8 million

In Western Afghanistan, an earthquake on October 7 in the Herat

residents. In the United States of America, the Southern andprovince led to 2,445 reported fatalities.

Midwestern regions experienced a significant drought, coupled withAs far as severe storm events are concerned, Storm Daniel struck
Libya in September, causing floods that led to 12,352 casualties– including 8,000 missing persons – and economic losses of
US$6.2 billion. This event was the second deadliest disaster of 2023,

a heat wave, which was recorded as the costliest event of 2023 in
the USA, with damage evaluated at US$14.5 billion. Additionally, inAugust, the Lahaina Wildfire on Maui Island in Hawaii was identified
as one of the Top 10 costliest disasters, with economic losses
amounting to US$5.5 billion.

1 Date of reference: 2024-03-24.
2 In this report, disasters are related to natural hazards, excluding biological and extra-terrestrial hazards, reported at the country level in EM-DAT.
3 The median is the middle value of a sorted collection of observations, such that 50% of observations are above it and 50% are below it.

The 2023 European Heat Waves:
Awaiting Harmonized Data
Heatwave events in Europe are noticeably absent from the EM-DAT 2023 Top 10 disasterrankings, not due to a lack of occurrence but because impact reports are still in thepreliminary stage. These events have, therefore, not yet been published in EM-DAT.
Last year, EM-DAT figures for the 2022 European heat waves had to be revised based on
a comprehensive European study,4 resulting in a substantial increase from the numbers
initially published in the 2022 EM-DAT report.5 While heatwave monitoring has
undoubtedly progressed, obtaining consolidated and harmonized figures still requires
time, and numerous challenges persist both in and beyond Europe.
Gaining insights into consolidated data on heat or
heatwave-related impacts can take significant time. Last
year, the EM-DAT 2022 annual report recorded 16,305
deaths due to heat waves in Europe based on preliminary
data.5 Subsequent revisions from a study published ayear after the 2022 European heat waves, in July 2023,4
updated the 2022 heat-related mortality impact to61,570 deaths, offering a more consistent evaluation of
the European continent. This update underscores theongoing evolution in monitoring heat-related mortality,
the notable lag and discrepancies between initial figuresand subsequent comprehensive evaluations, as well as
increasing recognition of heat-related mortality in annualreports. Given the anticipated rise in the frequency andintensity of heat waves associated with climate changeprojections and the potential improvements in heatwave
impact monitoring techniques and initiatives, both theprominence and reported impact of such events are likely
to increase.
Similar to the situation in Europe in 2022, in the summer of2023 there were record-breaking temperatures, prolonged
and severe heat stress, and repeated heat waves from
June to September, impacting consecutively northern andsouthern Europe and other Mediterranean regions.6 Whilea comprehensive reevaluation is pending, preliminary datafrom the European Mortality Monitoring (EuroMOMO) portal
indicate a number of episodes of increased mortality rates

during summer 2023, particularly among individuals aged
65 and over, in several European countries.7 These include
Greece, which also experienced significant forest fires
and subsequent air pollution, as well as Italy, Malta, andSpain. In Spain, for instance, the Mortality Attributable in
Summer to Heat in Spain (MACE) online application 8 reports
an estimated 5,028 deaths due to extreme heat, with anadditional 6,137 deaths attributed to moderate heat. It is
important to note that heat-related mortality figures mayvary according to methodological criteria and the periods
being investigated. Multi-country analyses are expected toprovide more uniform estimates.
Currently, global progress in monitoring heat-related
mortality is uneven, leading to challenges in compilinga comprehensive worldwide summary. The ability toestimate excess mortality relies on Civil Registration and
Vital Statistics Systems, which should ideally provide
detailed information, for example, by region and age group.9
However, in many countries, such surveillance systems
are either lacking or available data may not be publicly
accessible. This contributes to the uneven coverage ofheat waves in EM-DAT, where, in particular, areas such as
sub-Saharan Africa may be underrepresented.10 Moreover,in nations with established registration systems, reported
discrepancies have emerged due to methodologicaldifferences in reporting, highlighting the need forinternationally standardized methods.114	Ballester, J. et al. Heat-related mortality in Europe during the summer of 2022. Nat Med 29, 1857–1866 (2023).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02419-z.
5CRED. 2022 Disasters in Numbers: Climate in Action. (2023). https://cred.be/sites/default/files/2022_EMDAT_report.pdf.

6	European summer 2023: a season of contrasting extremes | Copernicus (2023).
https://climate.copernicus.eu/european-summer-2023-season-contrasting-extremes.
7

Graphs and maps from EuroMOMO. EuroMOMO https://euromomo.eu.

8

MACE: Mortalidad Atribuible en Verano por Calor en España (2023). https://ficlima.shinyapps.io/mace.

9	Green, H. K. et al. Challenges with Disaster Mortality Data and Measuring Progress Towards the Implementation of the Sendai Framework.
Int J Disaster Risk Sci 10, 449–461 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13753-019-00237-x.
10	Harrington, L. J. & Otto, F. E. L. Reconciling theory with the reality of African heatwaves. Nat. Clim. Chang. 10, 796–798 (2020).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-0851-8.
11	Brimicombe, C. et al. Borderless Heat Hazards With Bordered Impacts. Earth’s Future 9, e2021EF002064 (2021).
https://doi.org/10.1029/2021EF002064.

Occurrence of Disasters 12Figure 1

Number of Disasters by Continent
and Top 10 Countries13 in 2023
AsiaEurope

163

61

UnitedStates

China25

17France7

Italy7

Philippines

8

Americas98

15Türkiye
Pakistan

13

Democratic
Republic of theIndia

17Congo7Brazil

16

Indonesia

Africa1760

Figure 2

Occurrence by Disaster Type: 2023 Comparedto the 2003-2022 Annual Average

15Oceania

369 < 399

2003 to 2022

in 2023

Drought

Earthquake

Extremetemperature

Flood 14

Massmovement(dry)

Massmovement
(wet)

Storm

Volcanic
activity

Wildfire

2023

1032

10

164

024

139

4162023

20032022

1627

21

170

1

18

104

511

20032022

ANNUALAVERAGEANNUALAVERAGE

12	The reported disaster count may vary based on hazard frequency
as well as the aggregation methods of reporting sources defining the extent of a disaster event.
13	Three countries tied for the ninth rank with seven disasters, so 11 countries are listed.
14	In this report, the category “Flood” includes glacial lake outburst flood events.

Human Impact: Total Deaths 15
Figure 3

Proportion of Deaths
by Continent in 2023

162
1,527

Asia

73.4%

63,445

Europe0.2%

16.8%
Americas

1.8%

58.6%

20.6%

Africa21,304 24.6%
35

3.9%

2023

Oceania0%0.2%

20032022

64,148 < 86,473

Figure 4

Number of Deaths by Disaster Type: 2023Compared to 2003-2022 Annual Average

2003 to 2022

in 2023

Drought

Earthquake

Extremetemperature16

Flood

Mass
movement(dry)

Massmovement
(wet)

Storm

Volcanic
activity

Wildfire

2023

247

62 451

406

7 763

0654

14 666

23264

2023

20032022

1 157

35 12411 470

5 518

35803

10 0178086

20032022

ANNUALAVERAGEANNUALAVERAGE

Table 1

Top 10Mortality– 2023

Türkiye

Earthquake

50,783Afghanistan

Earthquake

2,445

Libya

Storm Daniel

12,352

India

Flood

1,529

Syrian Arab Rep.

Earthquake

5,900

Malawi

Tropical Storm Freddy

1,209

Congo (Democratic Rep.)

Flood

2,970

Nigeria

Flood275

MoroccoEarthquake

2,946

Yemen

Flood248

15	The total deaths indicator includes those confirmed as dead, as well as those reported missing and presumed dead.
16	Figures do not include the 2023 European Heat Waves (awaiting comprehensive scientific reports).

Human Impact: Total Affected 17
Figure 5

Proportion of Affectedby Continent in 2023

66.4 M
Asia

Europe71.4%

2.2 M 2.4%
0.3%
10.9 M

77.8%
Americas

11.7%

8.1%
Africa12.5 M 13.5%

2023

1.0 M

13.5%

20032022

Oceania

1.1%

0.2%

175.5 > 93.1

Figure 6

Number of Affected by Disaster Type:
2023 Compared to 2003-2022 Annual Average

2003 to 2022

in 2023

Drought

Earthquake

Extremetemperature8

Flood

Massmovement(dry)

Massmovement
(wet)

Storm

Volcanic
activity

Wildfire

2023

21.8

20.2

1

32.4

00.2

17.3

00.1

2023

20032022

57.1

5.6

4.8

74.6

00.2

32.2

0.3

0.7

20032022

ANNUALAVERAGEANNUALAVERAGE

Table 2

Top 10Total Affected– 2023

Indonesia

Drought

18.8 million

India

India

Flood

10.2 million

Tanzania Flood

2.9 million

Türkiye

Earthquake

9.2 million

SomaliaFlood

2.5 million

Syrian Arab Rep.

Earthquake

8.8 million

Malawi

Tropical Storm Freddy

2.3 million

GuatemalaFlood

4.4 million

Philippines Flood

17 Sum of people injured, homeless, and otherwise affected.

Tropical Storm Michaung 4.4 million

2.1 million

Economic Losses 18
Figure 7

Proportion of Economic Losses
by Continent in 2023
US$ 15.1 B

US$ 75.9 B

Europe7.4%

8%
US$ 88.9 B

40.2%

Americas

43.9%

48.1%

Asia

37.5%

AfricaUS$ 13.7 B 6.8%
1%

2023

US$ 9.0 B

Oceania

4.4%

2.7%

20032022

196.3 < 202.7

Figure 8

Economic Losses (US$ billion) by Disaster Type:
2023 Compared to the 2003-2022 Annual Average

2003 to 2022

in 2023

Drought

Earthquake

Extremetemperature

Flood

Massmovement(dry)

Massmovement
(wet)

Storm

Volcanic
activity

Wildfire

2023

22.1

51.9

0.6

20.4

00

100.8

0

6.8

2023

20032022

9.6

39.9

3.4

41.1

0

0.3

95.6

0.2

6.3

20032022

ANNUALAVERAGEANNUALAVERAGE

Table 3

Top 10
Economic
Losses- 202334 billion

Syrian Arab Rep. Earthquake

8.9 billion

MoroccoEarthquake

7.0 billion

14.5 billion

Lybia

Storm Daniel6.2 billion

Tropical Storm Otis

12 billion

USA

StormFlood

9.8 billion

USAWildfire (Lahaina) 5.5 billion

TürkiyeEarthquake

China

Tropical Storm Doksuri 25 billion

USADroughtMexicoItaly

18 Historical figures for economic losses are adjusted using the annual consumer price index (CPI) from OECD.

6 billion

About EM-DATThe Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT), which has been maintained by the Centrefor Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) since 1988, aims to archivesignificant disasters and support future disaster risk reduction strategies. EM-DATprovides information to support humanitarian action at both the national andinternational level, enabling rational decision-making in disaster preparedness.
The EM-DAT database offers evidence-based
information to assess the vulnerability of communities todisasters, thus assisting policymakers in prioritizing. EMDAT contains information on the occurrence and impacts ofover 26,000 disasters related to natural and technologicalhazards from 1900 to the present day, compiled fromvarious sources, including information from UN agencies,
national governments, NGOs, research institutes, and themedia. The sources are prioritized and used based on theirreliability. It is important to note that historical data may
contain biases. For more information on the database andto access the data and its documentation, please go to theEM-DAT website.
A disaster in EM-DAT is defined as “a situation or eventthat overwhelms local capacity, necessitating a request forexternal assistance at the national or international level;
it is an unforeseen and often sudden event that causes
great damage, destruction and human suffering.” Thisannual report includes only disasters attributed to natural
hazards, except biological and extra-terrestrial hazards,
and excludes technological hazards recorded in EM-DAT.
To be included in EM-DAT, a disaster must meet at least oneof the following criteria:•10 or more people reported killed•

100 or more people reported affected•declaration of a state of emergency•

a call for international assistanceAcknowledgments: The data used in this report are
maintained through the long-term support of the US Agency
for International Development’s Bureau for HumanitarianAssistance (USAID/BHA). This annual report was compiled
at CRED by Damien Delforge, Regina Below, Valentin
Wathelet, Joris Van Loenhout, and Niko Speybroeck. We
thank StudioTokyo for the layout and printing and Mike
Gould for proofreading.
The data contained in this report is subject to change as
new sources of information become available. We promote
the unrestricted use of the information in this report,
provided that the appropriate and complete citation isincluded as follows: CRED. 2023: Disasters in Numbers.
Brussels: CRED, 2024.
This document is available at: https://files.emdat.be/reports/2023_EMDAT_report.pdf
Contact
Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED)
Institute Health and Society – UCLouvain
B.1.30.15, Clos Chapelle aux Champs
1200 Brussels, Belgium
contact@emdat.be – www.emdat.bewww.facebook.com/creducl@CREDUCL